In order to save the world from eternal night, Red must find a way to unlock the dormant power of the Sun Goddess running through her veins without killing herself and everyone she loves.
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I dreamed of opal towers ringed by a fiery river. I dreamed of a heat so intense it melted the flesh from my bones, my fat sizzling on the flagstones, evaporating clean away before it even had a chance to smear. I dreamed of a light so bright it burned holes in my vision, leaving screaming darkness in its wake. My only compass was the pressure cinching around my head, tightening with every step towards the castle.
Still, I kept moving, even when I had to crawl. I would have my audience with Rya. I would know why She chose me to carry Her Blessing.
What a burden it was.
I collapsed at the front gate of the keep. When I woke, I was even more exhausted than before I went to sleep.
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The days and nights passed in a blur, marked only by the distance that stretched between Sebastian and I with every step towards the Grey Fist mountains. He'd gone back to frequenting his Wraith form, using his keen senses and loping legs to scout the terrain without giving our position away. Rana grumbled that she could do a better job on wing, but Gretchen wanted her to play things safe. A wyvern on the wrong side of the mountains would only draw the Kirins' attention and put them on high alert. With one of their fillies in our ranks, we wanted to look as nondescript and unthreatening as possible when we passed into their territory.
The first great wedge was driven between us when Sebastian showed up late to the campfire one night, splattered from head to toe in a foul black liquid that sizzled when it dripped on the leaf litter. I made a sound of dismay as he gingerly shook out his coat, hands flying up to my mouth.
Rana merely wrinkled her nose. "What's a mud grub doing so far inland?"
The silver wolf rolled one shaggy shoulder, a lazy approximation of a human shrug.
Seeing my confused expression, Gretchen explained: "They're a kind of eel, only land-based and with lots of teeth."
"And much bigger," Rana chimed in, stretching her arms wide. "Slippery little buggers like to burrow in the mud. You can only tell they're there if you look closely at the ground, for little air pockets bubbling up on the surface. Steer clear if you see them, because if they sense your weight shifting..."
